


Firelight

by FrozenSnares



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Camping, Cute, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, Hiking, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-13
Updated: 2015-06-13
Packaged: 2018-04-04 05:00:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4126275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FrozenSnares/pseuds/FrozenSnares
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shireen joins the Stark family on their annual camping trip.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Firelight

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt from my tumblr for [waterelemental](http://waterelemental.tumblr.com/)!

Rickon was trying his best not to be annoyed. He supposed that he should have been happy about getting to invite his girlfriend on the annual Stark Family Camping Trip, but his family would not stop staring at them. He was incredibly irked about all the special attention he was getting. Literally all of his siblings had brought along a significant other, and they had been doing it for years. No one even made fuss about Arya suddenly having a boyfriend and bringing him along one year.

Rickon glanced over to her. Shireen Baratheon had been dating him for all of three months. She was always dressed nicely in skirts and dresses but had somehow agreed to date him despite his obviously sloppy appearance. This was the first time he had ever seen her wearing pants, but she still looked adorable. Sensing his look, she glanced over and smiled at him.

He knew his face was burning, but he smiled back. Shireen reached over and grabbed his hand. Immediately, he knew his siblings in the car with them were whispering about him. He ignored them. They could make fun as much as they wanted. He was not going to let go of her hand.

This had been, by far, the quietest car ride they had ever taken. Usually, the Starks were loud and noisy, incessantly talkative through the entire ride. This time, Rickon assumed they had other things to talk about. In hushed tones. He frowned, looking out the window. This was the first major experience Shireen would have with his family. She had only been over to dinner once before, and half his family had been missing that time. While he had thought nothing about asking her in the first place, he was already starting to regret it, and they weren’t even there yet.

After enduring the longest period that the Stark children had ever gone without making noise, they finally arrived at the campsite. Rickon immediately went to unpack the car when Shireen tugged on his sleeve.

“I’ve never been camping before,” she whispered.

“Yeah, I know,” he said. “You’ve told me nine times.”

He set off to start unpacking when Shireen pulled him back. She gave him a pointed look and asked, “What should I do?”

“We’re going to unpack the car, set up camp, and then go on a hike,” he said. He knew the routine. They did this every single year. “You don’t have to do anything, though. It’ll be fine.”

“I want to help.” Shireen set off toward the car with a determined look on her face. Rickon grinned at her, watching her offering assistance to Sandor and Gendry, Sansa’s and Arya’s boyfriends respectively, who were literally the most massive men Rickon had ever seen. Still, they gave her things to carry and Jojen went over to help her with them while Bran pointed out where things should go.

Chuckling under his breath, Rickon watched his girlfriend properly mingle with all his siblings as they unpacked and began to set up camp. He joined up with Robb, Jon, and Bran to set up the tents as they did every year, laying out tarps and setting all the supports. Shireen insisted on helping, and it was quite comical to watch this tiny slip of a girl attempt to reach over a tent and put it together. After a minute of watching her struggle to reach a strap, Rickon went over and lifted her by the hips to help her up.

Shireen let out a small squeal, automatically reaching down to make sure she wouldn’t fall. Spotting Rickon, she let out a sigh and finished the task. When Rickon set her down, he was fully aware of his entire family watching them. She grinned at him, and he returned the smile. Then, he gave her head a small pat and muttered out, “Silly.”

Shireen huffed at him, turning toward the tent with her hands on her hips. “I think it looks good,” she said. “You’re welcome.”

Rickon laughed outright, startling a few of his family members. “Alright,” he said. “You can help with the next one.”

“I will, then,” she said, sticking her chin out at him. She turned back to the tent, and Rickon took a seat at the picnic bench.

Bran had already switched out with Jojen, rubbing at his legs. Slowly, he took a seat next to Rickon. “I’m still not up to par,” he said. “The hike is going to kill me this year.”

“Sit it out,” Rickon said. “We all know what you’ve been through. I’ll stay with you.”

“And miss your first hike with Shireen?” Bran teased.

“Shut up,” Rickon shot back. He looked back to the progress of the tent-making. Shireen had apparently called off all offers of help, trying to manage on her own. Again, she was trying to reach for something far out of her reach. He stood immediately to go help her again when he spotted Gendry moving toward her. Rickon felt a growl building at the back of his throat.

“Whoa, there,” Bran said. “Possessive much?”

Ignoring him, Rickon rushed over to help Shireen again. He shot Gendry a small glare before clearing his throat from behind Shireen. She turned around and smiled at him, and then she reached up with both arms. Smiling, Rickon lifted her once more. After she completed the task, he set her down again.

“Teamwork,” she said, beaming at him. Rickon tried not grin back at her. He knew his family was watching them again and he was getting tired of their stares. Shireen tugged at his hand. “What’s next?”

“Uh, gathering kindling,” Rickon said. He glanced around at his family. Still, they were staring at him. This time, it was slightly more obvious. Generally speaking, they were never allowed to go on completely secluded tasks with their significant others. He glanced over to where his parents were sitting. They seemed to be silently debating something.

“Let’s go, then,” Shireen said, taking his hand and pulling him out toward the woods.

Rickon shot a worried look over to his parents, who gave him a small smile and nod. Breathing out a sigh of relief, Rickon snatched up a bag for their kindling and followed Shireen. They almost made it out of earshot when someone called, “And no making out!”

Shireen went completely red in the face and nearly tripped over a loose root. Rickon hurried forward to steady her. “Sorry about them,” he said, taking a firm hold of her hand. “I haven’t exactly told them that we haven’t…”

Rickon didn’t think it was possible for her blush to deepen, but she managed it. “It’s okay,” she mumbled. “I mean, I guess they expect it from us college kids.”

“Thanks for coming by the way,” Rickon said. He reached out for her cheek and brushed his fingertips against the scars there. “I know they can be horrible.”

“They haven’t even mentioned it,” Shireen said. “Maybe you’re not doing them justice.”

“Ha ha, no. They’re horrible,” Rickon corrected. “I just think that they’re waiting for the perfect opportunity to let you know how terrible they are. I mean, that car ride was the quietest they’ve ever been.”

Shireen laughed, continuing to pull him forward. Slowly, she began seeking out sticks, grabbing quite a few fallen branches from trees. She kept them collected in her arms, and Rickon bit his tongue. He didn’t want to tell her that they needed different kind of wood for kindling. He was too busy watching her. Rickon had become accustomed to seeing her looking extremely cute in her dresses and skirts and heels. Today, she was wearing jeans, hiking boots, and a plaid button down. She definitely looked like a first-time camper with her hair pulled back in a ponytail.

Finally, she looked up at him with her arms full of wood, grinning hugely. “How do they look?”

Shireen looked so excited about her accomplishments that Rickon was almost sad to tell her the truth. “You look like you learned to pick kindling from watching TV and movies,” he said. Then, he picked through her pile for the smallest branches. “The bigger ones won’t burn right, but we can keep some as supporting sticks. We’ll need a lot more tiny ones to actually start a fire, though.”

“How tiny?” Shireen asked, dumping the sticks and looking around. Rickon was glad to see that she wasn’t disappointed by the news. He went over to point out some good parts of the underbrush for her to collect. After a few more minutes, they finally completed the task. On the way back, Shireen mumbled, “You know… I really like you, Rickon.”

Rickon grinned in spite of himself. “Well, I’d certainly hope so,” he said. “You did agree to be my girlfriend.”

Shireen smiled down at the floor, reaching over to loop an arm around his. She leaned her head against his shoulder, and Rickon could feel his heart racing. They walked quietly back to camp.

-

They survived the hike by being louder than the rest of his siblings. Shireen deflected all the conversations that sounded like teasing by abruptly pointing out random things on the hiking trail or pretending to fall. Biting his lip, he helped her up several times until Jon suggested that they carry her back.

“Carry me!” Shireen demanded, holding her arms out to Rickon.

“No,” Rickon replied. “You’re heavy.”

Shireen stuck out her tongue at him. “That didn’t stop you before.”

They were trailing behind the group now, and his family just kept going on without them. Rickon looked over to see Robb giving him a thumbs up while Sansa just shook her head. Shireen was giggling. Rickon rolled his eyes. “Was this part of your master plan?”

“I’m a great actress,” Shireen said. “It’s a shame they never let me play the phantom. I already have the face for it.”

Rickon recalled the many times Shireen forced him to watch the Phantom of the Opera. “Does that make me Christine?” he asked. “Because I’m not a soprano… and I’m engaged to anyone else…”

“You better not be,” Shireen said. She brushed off her pants and held her arms out again. “Pretty please?”

“That depends,” Rickon mused, brushing his fingers up her arms. “Is there a cherry on top?”

“I was going to say ‘sugar’,” Shireen said.

Rickon shrugged. “I guess that works.”

With a small squeal of delight, Shireen ran around and jumped on Rickon’s back. He let out an exaggerated “oomf” and adjusted his grip on her legs. He felt her hair brush over her shoulder as she wrapped her arms loosely around his neck. Stretching a bit, Shireen leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “There’s your sugar.”

Rickon was positive that his face was beet red. He was extremely thankful that no one could see his face, and more so that his family couldn’t see how Shireen’s hands moved over his chest and neck. He was so happy to just have this moment, so close to her. The walk back was a bit longer than he anticipated, and Shireen began dozing off on his shoulder. Even though Rickon could feel her weight growing heavier, he grit his teeth, tried to readjust her without waking her, and carried her for the remainder of the way. By the time they reached camp, Shireen was entirely asleep and the sun was setting.

“She got tired,” Rickon said, seeing his mother giving him a look.

His father came over to help her off his back. “We probably should have taken a shorter route,” he said. “I didn’t think she’d get so tired.”

Rickon carefully picked up Shireen in his arms and carried her over to a tent. Robb’s girlfriend Myrcella opened up a sleeping bag and helped her into it.

“We definitely did a shorter hike my first time,” Myrcella said. She started exiting the tent. “There’s no way I would have survived this.”

Carefully, Rickon pulled out Shireen’s ponytail, letting her hair loose across the pillow. He combed out her hair, and she started to stir. “Did I fall asleep?” she mumbled, rubbing her eyes.

“Yeah,” Rickon said. “But it’s okay. It was a long hike.”

“Why didn’t you wake me?” Shireen yawned, trying to sit up.

Rickon eased her back down to the pillow, stroking her hair. “I think you’re still sleepy,” he said. “And we’ll be out here for a few more days. Just get your rest. There’s plenty more to do tomorrow.”

Shireen let out an incoherent mumble, settling back into the sleeping bag. Rickon watched her a moment longer before heading back out.

\--

The next few days, Shireen bounced about with a renewed vigor. Rickon thought she was just trying to make up for falling asleep the first day. Shireen, however, joined in on every activity, trying to prove herself. She was particularly proud of herself when she found all three geocaches in the area before his siblings, and she volunteered to be the first person out canoeing. She entirely failed at fishing and flat out refused to prepare them for dinner.

On the last night, they finally pulled out the s’mores kits. Shireen attempted to properly roast marshmallows for it, while Rickon tried to convince her to set them on fire. They started having small contests and Ygritte challenged everyone to a group game of Chubby Bunny.

“I am not going to choke to death in the middle of the woods,” Myrcella said, refusing the match.

Ygritte stuck out her tongue at Myrcella and put a marshmallow into her mouth. “Chubby bunny,” she said, fairly clearly.

Slowly, they were around the circle, either declining the game or joining in. Soon, they were in fits of laughter as the marshmallowed people tried their best to hold in their laughter. When the marshmallows started oozing out of Jon’s mouth, Ygritte lost in a fit of laughter. Finally, only Gendry, Arya, Robb, and Rickon were left. Shireen had lost a few rounds ago and watched on while munching on graham crackers.

“’uh’y ’unny,” Robb mumbled.

“That doesn’t even sound close,” Bran said, pointing his thumb down. Slowly, the group followed suit, voting Robb out on enunciation.

Gendry’s attempt came out only slightly garbled.

“My god,” Jojen said. “How big is his fucking mouth? He’s got at least 13 marshmallows in there.”

Arya couldn’t fit in the next marshmallow, and Rickon nearly choked trying to get his in. Catelyn and Shireen forced him to quit.

“Thanks for the support,” Rickon mumbled out after Gendry was declared the winner.

Shireen handed his a cracker. “I didn’t want to lose my boyfriend before our first kiss,” she whispered. “That would be embarrassing.”

Rickon blushed, though no one could tell in the firelight. Shireen seemed to sense his embarrassment and grabbed onto his hand. Squeezing her hand back, Rickon pecked a kiss onto her cheek.

“Boo!” Jon called at them. “Tongue or nothing!”

“Jon!” Sansa yelled at him, throwing a cracker at him. It landed in his hair.

Shireen had dug her face into Rickon’s arm. He mumbled out an “I told you so.” Slowly, they began packing up, knowing that they’d depart in the morning. When everything was mostly cleared up, they separated into their tents and went off to bed. For the fourth day in a row, Rickon felt the loss of his girlfriend. They had only been dating a few months, but Shireen had spent the last few weeks in his dorm because her roommate had a new boyfriend and little sensitivities. He had adhered to her wishes and slept over the blankets, but he had become accustomed to her presence. Now, he reached out yet again and hit the wall of his sleeping bag.

With a small grumble of frustration, Rickon climbed out of the tent, taking only a blanket for warmth. The fire was still burning low, and he set about to slowly roasting a marshmallow to perfection. It took a few minutes, unlike the thirty seconds of his burned ones, but it was quite delicious. He set about to roasting another when he heard leaves crunching behind him. Glancing over, he saw Shireen walking toward him.

“I told you they taste better that way,” she said. “Can I join you?” 

Rickon patted the seat next to him, holding out the blanket for Shireen to share his warmth. She settled against his side with his arm around her. Rickon gave her the next marshmallow.

“Why are you still up?” Rickon asked. “Too much sugar?”

“I can’t sleep very well without you now,” Shireen admitted. Then, she quickly tacked on, “Or I just miss my bed.”

“I was also thinking that I’d prefer some company in my sleeping bag,” Rickon said. “Though, I think I’d prefer your bed, too.”

Shireen giggled, tucking the blanket in around her. “Your family is really cool,” she whispered.

“They’re all a bunch of idiots,” Rickon corrected. “But I’m glad you like them.”

“I like you better,” Shireen mumbled. She glanced up at him through her eyelashes.

Rickon looked down at her, watching the light of the fire dancing across her face. The shadows it threw over her scars looked dangerously beautiful, and it was doing things to his stomach. He didn’t get another marshmallow to roast. “I really like you, too, Shireen,” Rickon said, watching a smile grow on her face.

“Yeah?” she asked.

“Yeah,” he agreed.

Shireen grinned up at him, squeezing her arms tight around his waist. Rickon held her against him, trying to organize his thoughts. This was nice, but he wanted another memory.

“Hey, Shireen?” he whispered.

“Hm?” she mumbled out.

“Can I kiss you?”

Slowly, Shireen sat up, watching him closely. She had a sort of quiet intensity about her, just watching him. After a while, she looked down at her hands and said, “Sure.”

Rickon lifted a hand to cup her cheek, bringing her face back up to his. With a steady, deliberate motion, Rickon brought their lips together, moving his other hand to hold her waist. Shireen sighed against his mouth, though the kiss remained chaste. After a few seconds, Rickon pulled away, but he continued to stroke his thumb over the scars on her cheek.

“I liked that,” Shireen mumbled out. She placed a hand on his shoulder and rubbed at the shirt there.

“I like you,” Rickon replied, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

“Do it again,” Shireen said, meeting his eyes.

This time, their eyelids fluttered closed at the last second. Then, they were a small press together, an easy sigh, before they reached for each other to pull themselves closer to the other. Shireen was a multitude of sighs against his mouth, and he never thought he’d enjoy the taste of his name so much. It was a long while before they finally pulled away. Shireen smiled at him, letting out a small giggle. Rickon laughed back, tucking her back into his arms. They settled in their seat, falling asleep together and finally enjoying their company together through the night.

**Author's Note:**

> So... I've actually never been camping. I just know that s'mores are involved.  
> How did I do?


End file.
